Cinderella
by Belestrange
Summary: Hermione tells Ron about Cinderella. He's a bit skeptical at first.


A/N: (story is now edited) Hmm…I always liked this one, it's cute –blushes- a bit OOC, but I wrote it kind of on the spur of the moment. Besides, most of my earlier stuff is OOC; this is from the in-between stage.

Disclaimer: I am not richer than the Queen; I can barely afford hair dye.

**Cinderella**

"…And then she tries on the slipper and it fits, obviously, as it's hers, and they go back to the palace, and she marries the Prince, and they live happily ever after," Hermione said.

"But what's the point of it?" Ron asked, propping himself up on his elbows. Hermione sighed.

"It's a _story_, Ronald. It doesn't really _have _a point, exactly," she frowned. So did he. He hated being called Ronald. Well, not so much when she did it, but _still. _ "Actually, I suppose it's supposed to teach children about…" she trailed off, flushing slightly.

"About what?" he asked, rather annoyed.

"About…true love," she said, rather lamely. He raised an eyebrow skeptically.

"So it's teaching midgets – "

"-Ron!"

"-_Little kids_… that one day they will randomly go to a party and fall madly in love with the first person they see?" Hermione thought for a moment. Then she said,

"No, it's teaching kids that true love can happen suddenly. And rather oddly," she added as an afterthought, glancing at him sideways. He stared right back.

"Love _is _odd, isn't it?" he said. "One minute, you feel as though you can never leave a person's side, and then the next, you're screaming bloody murder at them, aren't you?" She stared at him intently.

"I don't think that's how it was for the Prince and Cinderella."

"I'm sure they had their rows, eventually."

"Maybe they even decided that they fought so much that they weren't good for each other and they split up." A dark look crossed Ron's features.

"No, I'm sure it worked out. Even if they fought all the time. I bet they were as madly in love with each other as…" he cleared his throat, trying desperately to keep his ears from turning red. "As... um, the story says. In fact, I bet they _did_ fight all the time, and it just brought them closer." Hermione smiled oddly, the way she did when she was about to tease him about something – it was almost a smirk.

"Perhaps they enjoyed fighting," she said lightly.

"Perhaps they did," he shot back.

"Sometimes fighting is a way of telling someone something."

"Well, obviously, Hermione. I mean, you_ are_ usually yelling things at someone when you fight." Her face grew serious.

"No, I mean, perhaps if…if two…_people _fight all the time, it's because they can't tell each other…are _afraid _to tell each other - how they…how they _really feel."_

"I'm not afraid," Ron said, mostly to himself, as though he'd half forgotten that Hermione was there.

"Sorry?" She hadn't just heard what she thought she had…_had_ she? He jerked out of his trance-like state.

"Nothing."

"Oh no, it was something, Ron. Tell me."

"Well, I'm actually a bit afraid to tell you. A bit afraid of the conclusions you'll draw from it, anyway."

"D'you think that the conclusions would be correct?" she said, hardly daring to breathe.

"They've always been correct before. It's you, isn't it?" Ron said.

"Sometimes I wish that my love-life was as simple as Cinderella's," Hermione sighed.

"How d'you mean?"

"I mean, you're no Prince Charming, are you? You're just Ron. Not _just_ Ron, actually. But still. You won't take a hint. Prince Charming is supposed to just _know._ "

"And since when am I your equivalent to Prince Charming?" he asked, amused. She looked at him, startled.

"Since always," she blushed. She couldn't believe she was saying this.

"Mmm…"

"That's it? I've just told you I love you and you just make that noise you make when you're trying to remember what ingredient to use next in Potions?" She was quite flustered.

"I was thinking."

"You were _thinking? _You should try that more often" He ignored the jibe.

"I was debating whether or not I should do this." He kissed her, hard. There was nothing princely or gentlemanly about it. It was rough and sweet and wonderful, like him. When they broke apart, she said,

"I doubt the Prince kisses that well." He just grinned.

In the safety of the stairwell, Harry and Ginny grinned at each other. They high-fived gently so as not to alert Ron and Hermione to their presence. Their excellent plan of 'going to bed early' had worked. They knew it would eventually. As Harry watched Ginny do a victory dance, he wondered if she'd fall for the whole fairy tale thing. Perhaps Snow White…


End file.
